Sore Hands

[Doorag]

Did any of you get sore hands when you started riding all the time? I've found that the ligaments and tendons in my hands have been very sore since I started riding the FZ. I try to keep my back straight and my weight off my arms and hands - supporting my weight with my core muscles, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Thoughts?

 

[wildbyname]

Hi David,

Picked me Fazer up on Saturday and clocked nearly 400 miles now... I've found that if you relax your triceps, lower your forearms parallel to the tank & relax your grip;

i) You get a better feel for turning the headstock
ii) There is minimal weight on your hands/wrists

Hope this helps!

 

[madmanmaigret]

also are you keeping a loose enough grip?

 

[Doorag]

also are you keeping a loose enough grip?

Yeah. I ride offroad as well and I'm used to keeping a loose grip to avoid arm-pump. In fact, I think part of my problem is the way I angle my arms. WBN is hinting at it, but I keep my hands pretty far over the grip to keep the strain off my wrists. This has a side-effect of putting more stress on my hands. I used to road race bicycles a lot and found the 'over-grip' more comfortable.

If I put my arms parallel to the tank, I would be leaning over like I was on a sports bike. Not really what I was looking for.

 

[madmanmaigret]

do you do lots of stretching them before you ride? that may help some. also I found that bigger grips helped my wrist and hand problems.....

when I was working as a mechanic my hands would hurt constantly (similar to what you describe) the only thing that would help is to rest them. That would mean time off the bike, and we know that is not an option. :thumbup:

 

[Doorag]

I'm hoping that they will get used to it eventually. Falling off during enduros probably isn't helping either.

 

[phxtravis]

Try some Grip Puppies...they helped a little on my FZ, but made a HUGE difference on my CBR.

 

[DefyInertia]

Adjust/lube your controls????!?!?!?!!!!?? Brake and clutch lever that is.

 

[billm]

Yeah, mine got a little sore. Probably cause I hadn't ridden for 5-6 yrs. & the muscles needed to get used to the gripping again.

 

[Botch]

How old are you, Doorag? (and you don't have to answer that )
I got my FZ last summer, my first-ever bike, and my hands really started hurting towards winter (I'm 48). After a mostly-break over the winter, my hands haven't really hurt at all this riding season, and I've been packing on the miles.
I had the same trouble four years ago; I took up tenor saxophone. My hands started cramping up (especially my left) but after a year or so they didn't bother anymore. I'm thinking I'm old enough to initially injure/shock my system with a new set of motor/muscular skills, but young enough for my body to still adapt. But that's only my theory (I'm not a doctor, but I do date a nurse! )

 

[yukon_alex]

Yeah. I ride offroad as well and I'm used to keeping a loose grip to avoid arm-pump. In fact, I think part of my problem is the way I angle my arms. WBN is hinting at it, but I keep my hands pretty far over the grip to keep the strain off my wrists. This has a side-effect of putting more stress on my hands. I used to road race bicycles a lot and found the 'over-grip' more comfortable.

If I put my arms parallel to the tank, I would be leaning over like I was on a sports bike. Not really what I was looking for.

I would try (I have done this, actually), rotating the handlebar in the clamps to try and find a more comfortable position. If you don't mind a little higher bar, bar risers might be the answer. I would rotate the stock bar first and if necessary get risers.

Good luck with finding the solution.

 

[Doorag]

How old are you, Doorag? (and you don't have to answer that )
I got my FZ last summer, my first-ever bike, and my hands really started hurting towards winter (I'm 48). After a mostly-break over the winter, my hands haven't really hurt at all this riding season, and I've been packing on the miles.
I had the same trouble four years ago; I took up tenor saxophone. My hands started cramping up (especially my left) but after a year or so they didn't bother anymore. I'm thinking I'm old enough to initially injure/shock my system with a new set of motor/muscular skills, but young enough for my body to still adapt. But that's only my theory (I'm not a doctor, but I do date a nurse! )

I'm 39 so it could be similar. It's pretty much what I think is happening except I haven't taken a break yet to let them recover.

 

[lonesoldier84]

several times a day, lube your chain and manually exercise your swingarm until you get a discharge.

that should help strengthen the necessary muscles.

 

[Hellgate]

Dumb question but are your gloves too tight?

When I went to a lower bar my hand cramps stopped.

A throttle lock is nice so you can stretch your right hand out from time to time and get the blood flowing again.

 

[Doorag]

Dumb question but are your gloves too tight?

Nope, the fit like a, um, glove.

When I went to a lower bar my hand cramps stopped.

That's why I'm thinking about putting my Renthal's on. The angle might be slightly better as well.

A throttle lock is nice so you can stretch your right hand out from time to time and get the blood flowing again.

Already flagged as a later mod

 

[Maverick]

Adjust/lube your controls????!?!?!?!!!!?? Brake and clutch lever that is.

+1

I adjusted both the angle on the front brake and clutch levers as well as the rear brake and shift levers to suite *me*...

 

[Avalon786]

What about getting gel grips, would those help out? Maybe absorb more vibration?

 

[nakedmike]

I had the same problem. Turns out my gloves were too tight around my knuckles (they fit perfectly otherwise), making me overwork the grip and causing a lot of pain. Got new gloves, no more pain.
:Sport:

 

[Jake]

I've had the same problem with tight gloves... my fingers would go numb after a couple hundred miles. This was regardless of proper posture and not "white-knuckling" the grips. My old gloves were simply too tight for longer rides. Held Akiras were worth the money and don't give me that problem anymore.

Jake

 

[Scott64a]

+10 on grip puppies... best $9.00 I spent!

They have to be cut down to length a little, but are easy to soap up and slip on. Wipe them dry, let them sit for a few minutes, and there you ave it.

They really do help reduce vibration, and if I find my hands getting a little sore, I just ease up my grip a bit. Word to the wise: when you change the grip diameter, you change your ergonomics a little, but that's all it took for me to have to adjust again to riding it.
Not a big deal, but get used to it before you haul a$$.